Steven Wilson with Ninet Tayeb

"It's a really beautiful instrument. It sounds good, feels wonderful to play and it looks incredibly striking. I'm very proud to have my name on it"

Steven Wilson • Summer 2016

Steven Wilson - Porcupine Tree frontman, hugely successful solo artist and "king of prog rock"- has long been a loyal and enthusiastic supporter of Babicz guitars, with the revolutionary Identity Series Dreadnought famously being his main acoustic stage instrument for over a decade.

To celebrate, the boldly experimental British artist was invited by Jeff Babicz, one of the USA's most forward thinking guitar builders, to help create a brand new signature instrument.

Based on Steven's preferred cutaway design and engineered to his exacting standards, the result is a striking guitar that combines slick good looks with consummate construction, superior performance and unparalleled versatility, employing the full complement of cutting edge Babicz innovations to maximum effect.

Describing it as "fundamental to the show" this is the exact same instrument that Steven has used in all his live performances since the release of his wildly acclaimed 2015 solo album, the soulful and immersive masterpiece "Hand. Cannot. Erase."

The Babicz ID Series Steven Wilson Signature Model Features

Solid Engelmann Spruce Soundboard

Solid Rosewood Back & Sides

Solid Rosewood 25.5" Scale Fingerboard

Steven Wilson Black Face Signature Headstock

Rounded Body Cutaway

Babicz Continually Adjustable Neck

Babicz Torque Reducing Split Bridge

Babicz Lateral Compression Soundboard

L.R. Baggs Stage Pro Anthem Dual Pickup/Preamp System

Gold Auto-Trim Locking Tuners

Black Satin Finish Top & Headstock

Black Gloss Finish Body & Neck

Black Satin Finish Top

Black Satin Finish "Steven Wilson" Signature Headstock

Engraved "Steven Wilson" 12th Fret Marker Inlay

Exclusive "Steven Wilson" Portrait Soundhole Label

Babicz Custom Arched Top, Hard Shell Case​​

Babicz Lateral Compression Soundboard

One of the most striking features of the Babicz concept is the manner in which the strings span out from the bridge assembly to attach to the bottom of the soundboard. Of course, it looks awesomely cool, but far from being a mere visual hook or gimmick, the revolutionary idea is entirely functional.

With this design, Jeff Babicz has been able able to achieve a more lateral tension pattern spread over a wider area of the guitar, "energizing" the soundboard (akin to tightening a drum head) resulting in full-bodied sound quality. Another attributing factor to this guitar’s great sound is that with the string tension being disbursed across the soundboard instead of anchored in the bridge, less structural bracing is required inside the instrument, allowing the soundboard to vibrate more freely and produce a purer, natural acoustic tone.

Babicz Continually Adjustable Neck

All Jeff Babicz guitars are equipped with this revolutionary neck joint system, which allows the player to quickly adjust the guitar's string height on the fly, with a simple turn of an included Allen key, to accommodate any playing style required. This is all achieved without knocking the guitar out of tune or altering the intonation. The system allows you to instantly change action for delicate fingerpicking to bluegrass banging to beefy slide action in just seconds, then crank the neck back down in less time than it takes to introduce the next tune.

Torque Reducing Split Bridge

Like the other innovative Babicz appointments, this unique system is strictly functional and serves three important purposes...

The bridge is adjustable for intonation because it is not glued to the soundboard but instead attached by special fasteners.

The retainer serves to keep the strings in perfect alignment to the bridge.​

L.R. Baggs Electrics

The Steven Wilson Signature Model features the incredible Stage Pro Anthem system which combines L.R. Baggs' Tru•Mic Technology pickup and Element™ under-saddle piezo pickup with a side-mounted preamp/EQ. This versatile system delivers incredible Tru•Mic fidelity, along with the presence and snap of the high-quality, award-winning Element pickup.